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Gina's Observatory - The Build

Gina

By Gina
in DIY Observatories

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Gina

Gina

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Today's Progress.

Been working on the partition door today and the hanging of it. I've decided to have a sliding door as I had designed in the first place. Thought of a hinged door in between but having built the rest, I found a hinged door would be too intrusive. So it's back to sliding. I already have sliding door gear so I spent some time today sorting out how that was to be fitted - quite a bit different from a hinged door but not much more effort.

The main difference is that a sliding door doesn't fit into a hole like a hinged door - it goes flat onto one side. An angled groove bit screwed onto the bottom of the door pushes the door onto the frame to provide a draught seal. That means either making the door frame narrower (as in the instructions to adapt an opening door) or make the door a bit wider. Having not yet made the door means I have the choice. I have cut the two side pieces of the frame but not the cross pieces yet.

No photos today - I'll probably take some tomorrow when I hope to have made more progress with the door.

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Gina

Gina

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Haven't had time today to progress the build much due to other commitments - just a bit towards the dividing wall door.

OTOH I did manage to sort out some problems with software and mount control. Installed SharpCap and checked it. Unfortunately my main imaging webcam, an LX modified SPC900NC, stopped working with an intermittent USB connection somewhere in the box. So that's now indoors for fixing.

After a fine and sunny day, it decided to rain this evening until about 8pm when the rain stopped and the skies cleared for the best part of an hour. This enabled me to sort a few things out. Now have the mount slewing properly from CdC and pointing the scope in about the right direction. I was unable to check how close it was as I was beaten to it by the weather. Clouded up and started to rain again. So it was a quick park and close the roof!

Sorry, no photos again today. Not enough on the build to show and no astro images either. Hoping to do better tomorrow :icon_salut:

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Gina

Gina

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Today's Progress.

Nice sunny weather this morning but with a frost. Warmed up nicely in the sunshine until mid afternoon when it turned bitterly cold again.

Been working on the dividing door frame today. Finished the door frame and fixed most of the sliding door gear.

Here are the details.

1. Cut remaining pieces of door frame.

2. Screwed the frame together.

3. Screwed on the sliding door gear brackets to the top of the frame.

4. Screwed the door closer plastic cam and aluminium guide channel to bottom of frame.

5. Put door frame into position and screwed sliding door gear to the batten at the top of the dividing wall, which I put up the other day for the purpose.

6. Hung door onto sliding gear.

Four DSLR photos today showing the work in progress.

Photo from the warm room side with door frame placed in rough position.

2011-12-17-01.jpg

As above from the scope room.

2011-12-17-02.jpg

Door frame hung on sliding door gear in the closed position.

2011-12-17-03.jpg

As above in the open position. Note the aluminium channel on the bottom of the door still needs cutting to length.

2011-12-17-04.jpg

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Gina

Gina

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Repaired my LX modded SPC900NC webcam unit this evening. It had a couple of wires broken broken off at the solder joints. I put a small piece of polystyrene foam in between the cct boards to hold them steady - I think there was movement before tha caused the trouble.

With generally clear skies, I had a session in the obsy tonight, though occasional clouds limited things. Also had several XP crashes with BSOD :) However I did manage to get the scope pointed at Jupiter and an image in the webcam frame. Ran SharpCap and got a short capture before that crashed. I wondered if it had saved anything since it crashed before I stopped capture, but it had :) So I have a 2 min AVI of Jupiter and it's moons. I tried to do it with the 2x Barlow but XP kept crashing :o In the end it was doing it so often that it was impossible to keep the image in the frame long enough to change lenses.

It looks like I might have to try with a more powerful PC but was hoping my EeePC netbook would cope. It's such a neat little laptop with a very long battery life. Not that that matters with mains power available. Guess I'll sort out a desktop PC and put it in the warm room. Oh and I'll need a monitor - hmm... looks like I'll need to buy one :eek: Or maybe a second hand refurbished laptop such as this one :- Buy HP Compaq nc4200 notebook at Morgan Computers - Might be better value for money.

Anyway, one more small step forward, had SharpCap running for a while. "Slowly, slowly, catchy monkey" as the saying goes :icon_salut:

I'm uploading the AVI to a file hosting site and I'll post a link later. It's over 500MB and still uploading ATM.

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malc-c

malc-c

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Gina, I thought you were going tohave a window in the partition door. It makes all the difference as you can see what's happening whilst the scope is slewing,without letting the cold air in the warm room. It also lets you see the stars whilst the subs are being taken :icon_salut:

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Gina

Gina

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I would recommend reinstalling Windows first, before splashing out money and buying a new one.

A friend of mine uses an EeePC for recording avis and that works fine.

Good idea, I'll try that - thank you :icon_salut:
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Gina

Gina

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Gina, I thought you were going tohave a window in the partition door. It makes all the difference as you can see what's happening whilst the scope is slewing,without letting the cold air in the warm room. It also lets you see the stars whilst the subs are being taken :icon_salut:
Yes, I am. The top part between the middle bar and the top will be window - have the 2' square acrylic sheets ready. Double glazed, one each side :) The bottom part will be clad in plywood and filled with 1" thick polystyrene insulation sheet. Hoping to get that done today.
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Gina

Gina

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Today's Progress.

Nice sunny day that started with a hard frost but warmed up quite well later. Turned quite cold in the afternoon though and cloud came over. Been working on dividing door today.

Here are the details :-

1. Cut protruding end of aluminium channel on bottom of door.

2. Measured and cut panel for obsy side of door.

3. Screwed panel onto door frame.

4. Cut and fitted insulation into door frame (bottom section).

5. Cut panel for warm room side of door and screwed it on.

6. Cut plastic trims for outer door frame uprights to extend opening in towards scope room and screwed in place.

7. Screwed on end stops to limit sliding door movement.

8. Screwed plastic guide peg onto floor. This holds and guides bottom of door and in conjunction with a plastic angled channel, pushes door onto frame to stop draughts.

9. Fastened window pane (2' square acrylic sheet) onto door frame with 4 strips of wood, screwed on.

Here are some DSLR photos of today's activities.

Scope room side panel on door - from warm room side.

2011-12-18-01.jpg

Ditto from scope room side.

2011-12-18-02.jpg

Insulation in door frame.

2011-12-18-03.jpg

This photo shows the window pane with it's protective plastic film still on, held in place by two strips of wood.

2011-12-18-04.jpg

Panel on warm room side of door. Also, plastic strips used to extend doorway into scope room to reach sliding door.

2011-12-18-05.jpg

The rest of the photos show the window pane (stripped of it's protective plastic) held in place with four strips of wood. I intend replacing these rough bits of wood with some D shaped wooden moulding.

2011-12-18-06.jpg

2011-12-18-07.jpg

2011-12-18-08.jpg

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Gina

Gina

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Been out imaging Jupiter again but it's disappeared behind cloud ATM. Left SharpCap capturing in case the cloud goes away. No crashes so far :)

Need motorised focus - pulleys and belts ordered for that. And I think I'll want a wireless joystick to control ASCOM when setting up. I've put a bid in for a Logitech one on eBay :icon_salut:

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Gina

Gina

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No obsy build work today but I have received my pulleys and belts and sorted out how to mount my motor focuser. I'll attach it to the scope tomorrow and take photos. Need to make up the control box too.

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